✱ KARNATAKA · TITLE & COST
Encumbrance certificate & stamp duty
An encumbrance certificate lists every registered charge on a property, which is how you find a loan, a lien or an old sale the seller did not mention. It costs about 35 rupees for the first year and 10 rupees for each further year on the Kaveri portal. Stamp duty is 5 percent above 45 lakh, the registration fee has been 2 percent since 31 August 2025, and both are charged on the higher of your sale value or the government guidance value.
Reviewed by Deepa R Kotian, Advocate, Udupi. 17 years in property law, empanelled with public and private sector banks for property and loan legal scrutiny. Checked 6 September 2026. Rates change by notification, so confirm on Kaveri for your own transaction.
- EC cost
- About 35 rupees first year, 10 per further year
- Years to check
- 30, not 13
- Where
- Kaveri Online Services
- Stamp duty
- 5% above 45 lakh, lower slabs below
- Lower slabs apply to
- Builder first sale only, Article 20(2A)
- Registration fee
- 2% since 31 August 2025
- Charged on
- Higher of sale value or guidance value
- Also payable
- Cess and surcharge on the duty
✱ ENCUMBRANCE CERTIFICATE
How to pull an EC, and how to read it
An EC is cheap, public and takes minutes. It is also the document most often pulled for the wrong period, or for the wrong property.
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01
Get the identifiers right first
Survey number and hissa for land, property details for a flat, plus village, hobli and taluk. Wrong identifiers return a clean certificate for a property that is not the one you are buying.
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02
Search on Kaveri
Use the encumbrance certificate search on Kaveri Online Services, run by the Karnataka Department of Stamps and Registration. About 35 rupees for the first year and 10 rupees for each further year.
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03
Pull 30 years, not 13
A 13 year search is cheaper and is often what a seller offers. An unreleased mortgage or a break in the title chain can sit just outside that window. We read 30 years before a client pays anything, and most bank legal panels expect the same.
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04
Read the releases, not just the charges
A mortgage entry with no matching release deed means the charge is still live on the record. Court attachments and old agreements to sell matter for the same reason.
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05
Cross check against the title deeds
Every transfer in the chain should appear on the EC. A deed that does not appear was never registered. An entry the seller cannot explain is a gap that has to close before payment.
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06
Know what it cannot tell you
The EC records registered transactions only. It says nothing about layout or building plan approvals, land use conversion, CRZ restrictions, unregistered agreements, oral family arrangements or a pending suit. A clean EC is necessary, not sufficient.
✱ WHAT REGISTRATION COSTS
Stamp duty, registration fee and guidance value
Three numbers decide what you hand over at the sub-registrar office, and one of them is not set by you or the seller.
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01
Stamp duty, 5 percent above 45 lakh
Lower slabs apply below that threshold. Cess and surcharge are charged on top of the duty itself.
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02
The lower slabs are narrower than people think
The 2 and 3 percent slabs apply to a builder’s first sale of a flat up to 45 lakh, under Article 20(2A) of the Karnataka Stamp Act. A resale flat attracts 5 percent at any price. This catches out buyers who were quoted the lower rate for a property it does not apply to.
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03
Registration fee is 2 percent
It doubled from 1 percent with effect from 31 August 2025. Some guides still quote the old figure, so budget on the current one and check the Kaveri calculator for your own deal.
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04
Guidance value is the floor
The government fixes a minimum value for land and buildings in each area, called circle rate elsewhere. A sale cannot be registered below it, and duty is charged on the higher of your sale value or that figure.
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05
Check guidance value before agreeing a price
If you negotiate below the guidance value for the ward, you still pay duty on the guidance value. Finding this out at the registration counter is an expensive way to learn it.
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06
Banks look at it too
A lender uses guidance value as one input when valuing a property. A price far above it can affect how much the bank is willing to fund.
Source: Kaveri Online Services, Department of Stamps and Registration, and Karnataka IGR. Rates and guidance values change by notification. Run the calculator for your own transaction before you pay. Checked 6 September 2026.
✱ QUESTIONS
EC and stamp duty questions
What is an encumbrance certificate?
An encumbrance certificate lists every registered charge on a property: loans, liens, court attachments and past sales. It is how you find a mortgage or an old transaction the seller did not mention. It can be pulled online from Kaveri for a small fee, around 35 rupees for the first year and 10 rupees for each further year.
How many years of encumbrance certificate should I check?
Thirty years. A 13 year search is cheaper and is often what a seller offers, but an unreleased mortgage or a break in the title chain can sit outside that window. We read 30 years before letting a client pay anything, and most bank legal panels want the same.
What does an encumbrance certificate not show?
It only records registered transactions. It does not show whether layout or building plan approvals exist, whether the land use was converted, whether there is a CRZ restriction, or whether an unregistered agreement, an oral family arrangement or a pending suit affects the property. A clean EC is necessary but not sufficient.
What is stamp duty in Karnataka right now?
Stamp duty is 5 percent for property valued above 45 lakh, with lower slabs below that. The lower 2 and 3 percent slabs apply only to a builder’s first sale of a flat up to 45 lakh, under Article 20(2A) of the Karnataka Stamp Act, not to a resale. Cess and surcharge apply on top of the duty. The registration fee rose from 1 percent to 2 percent with effect from 31 August 2025.
What is guidance value and why does it matter?
Guidance value is the minimum value the Karnataka government fixes for land and buildings in an area. Other states call it circle rate. The sub-registrar treats it as the floor for stamp duty, so a sale cannot be registered below it, and duty is charged on the higher of your sale value or the guidance value. Banks also look at it when valuing a property for a loan.
Do I pay stamp duty on the sale price or the guidance value?
On whichever is higher. If you agree a price below the guidance value for that area, duty is still calculated on the guidance value. This is why the guidance value for the specific survey number or ward should be checked before you agree a price, not at the registration counter.
Want the EC read properly?
Send us the survey number. We will pull 30 years, read the entries against the title deeds, and tell you what the registration will actually cost at the guidance value for that ward.
3rd Floor, Sriram Building, Bannanje, Udupi 576101, KarnatakaMonday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm